Two giants of the art kingdom Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei are coming together with their awe-inspiring works at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). Their works will be opened to the public for viewing from Dec. 11, 2015 to April 24, 2016. This major exhibition has been made possible by NGV and the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh.

Preparations for the exhibition have already begun. Warhol, a 20th century leading pop artist and Weiwei, a Chinese contemporary activist and artist will be exhibiting about 300 of their works. Already more than 80 shipping containers and crates have reached Melbourne and installation has started too.

According to The Guardian, the exhibition will showcase more than 200 of Warhol’s most admired works such as celebrity portraits of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Liz Taylor, Flowers, Mao, Electric Chair and Campbell’s Soup Cans. Weiwei will be presenting his new commissions as well as his important works from past four decades. He has admitted Warhol’s tremendous influence on his works.

“I believe this is a very interesting and important exhibition and an honour for me to have the opportunity to be exhibited alongside Andy Warhol. This is a great privilege for me as an artist,” Weiwei commented during an earlier exhibition in Melbourne.

Some of Weiwei’s works being featured at the event are “1800 bikes” from “Forever Bicycle” series, which will be assembled in the gallery’s foyer, and numerous crystal lights from his new “Chandelier” series. They will sit behind the water wall.

The exhibition that starts from Dec. 11 will scrutinize the two artist’s influence on contemporary life. Admirers will be able to explore the difference and similarities in their practices. It will feature a wide collection of artistic mediums such as film, sculpture, painting, immersive installations and social media. Weiwei has a large social media fan following.

The show is being promoted as “the biggest international contemporary show in NGV history,” reports Herald Sun.

The design of the exhibition interiors will have the “wow” factor as is common with all NGV exhibitions. The seven metre walls will have Warhol’s famous pink and yellow Cow Wallpaper along with four other works including “Silver Clouds.”

"Warhol's Silver Clouds were very interesting from an art perspective because it was no longer painting or sculpture, it was very immersive," said Max Delany, NGV's senior curator of contemporary art , reports Sydney Morning Herald.

Five of Weiwei’s new designs will also be used as wallpapers especially for the exhibition including “Caonima Balloon” and “Bird Balloons.” Approximately 2000 metres of wallpaper is being used for the exhibition.

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